Air quality to improve

Israel Montgomery |Monday, November 05, 2018

Environment ministry forms teams to report incidents of pollution

Despite two of these areas having been declared high priority areas more than a decade ago - with the sole goal of reducing air pollution to fall within acceptable standards - air pollution remains high and at deadly exposure levels for human health.

"These measures are pre-emptive and go beyond what is stipulated in the Grap". The other causes of pollution stay the same while new factors have been on the rise, without proper checks and control, It is no hard a task to forecast the coming times.

The EPCA urged Delhiites on Wednesday to use public transport for the next 10 days when the air quality is likely to deteriorate further.

It said it can restrict movement of private vehicles and entry of trucks to Delhi, if needed.

This information was shared as the top court expressed displeasure that orders passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court in 2015, prohibiting the plying of such old vehicles in the Delhi-national capital region (NCR), had not yet been complied with. "The Delhi government is fully prepared to take measures as per Graded Response Action Plan, including the odd-even scheme".

The event was co-sponsored by the UN Environment, World Meteorological Organization, the UN Framework Convention on Climate change, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and World Bank under the theme: "Improving Air Quality, Combating Climate change and Saving lives". It added that the coal-based Badarpur power plant was already shut and diesel generator sets were banned in Delhi since October 15.

With the national capital region reverting to "gas chamber" conditions again - Delhi's air hit severe levels for the first time this season - it's clear that government hasn't done enough to avert the winter disaster. Even trucks carrying construction and demolition waste aren't allowed to move around the city uncovered.

Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) informed the bench that it had created social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook where citizens could lodge complaints about pollution in Delhi-NCR. Other complaints included that of vehicular emission, traffic congestion, industrial emission, open or garbage burning, leaf burning, road dust, unpaved road, fire in landfill sites, air pollution from generators among others, it said.

The stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has about 30 per cent impact on Delhi's air quality, say experts from Central Pollution Control Board (CPSB).

The air quality in Delhi has remained poor despite the government initiating steps. This flushed out pollutants, an official of the Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said.